BareBack, my way of thinking also, good thoughts!
You too Alstatian!

Alstatian, well said!

Someone who has a true devotion to the outdoors. Someone who knows his quarry, and respects it. Someone who has a knowledge for the outdoors and all of the things it holds. Someone who can practice good woodsmanship and leave the terrain in the same condition he found it. Someone who respects all hunters and the ways they hunt, provided it is all legal.

Well said BareBack Jack and Alstian!

Patience, Patience, Knowledge and respect for the game. A great knowledge of the outdoors and did I mention Patience!

Time in the field.

A guy that is highly effective at pursuing and killing game animals while adhering to game laws.

Lets look at some definitions...

Main Entry: hunt·er
Pronunciation: 'hun-ter
Function: noun
1 a : a person who hunts game


Main Entry: hunt
Pronunciation: 'h&nt
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English huntian; akin to Old English hentan to seize
transitive senses
1 a : to pursue for food or in sport
2 a : to pursue with intent to capture


While not downplaying any other aspect, much of the other stuff is being listed is what an outdoorsman or other things are...

Lets not make the same mistake that many fishermen do, like the outrage that some fishermen had over the Utah Department of Wildlife begging that fishermen take their full limit of Brown Trout from Huntington Creek, lets never forget that part of hunting requires killing...

A good hunter is one who respects all outdoors and does not hunt to kill something. They harvest animals for food and for the health of the heard. Hunters are sadly measured by the size of the kill which does sometimes require skill but is not the true spirit of hunting. Im not preaching because I like to get a big buck or two, but I will also take a doe when I can and I do it humanely and legally.Oh... by the way it is spelled apology.

I don't buy it... When is the last time you have ever heard, "Old Joe and his group haven't killed anything in 10 years but he is one heck of a hunter."

You don't...

What you hear is "boy that Joe is one heck of a hunter, he killed himself a nice bull and then called in another half a dozen bulls this season for his family. They kill good bulls every year."

The entire point of the hunt is the pursuit and the kill...

Now don't get me wrong, I love the outdoors but, without caribou to kill, I wouldn't be going to the Artic Circle... The surroundings ADD to the experience but they aren't the reason for the experience.

That is the difference between a tree hugger and a hunter, both love the outdoors, is the pursuit and the kill...

SA

PS. You must call a guy that never catches fish... a good fisherman?

This is going to sound convoluted but bare with me. If you have to ask then you're not there yet. What makes a great hunter is the knowledge, experience, and self assuredness not to need to ask that question. Don't take this as an attack. I'm not there yet either. When we are young we worry about whether we are the best. We worry if the next guy killed one bigger than us. We worry what our buddies might think. We worry wether or not it will make the "book". We think things like: "yeah but he killed his on private land and I'm hunting public so even though mines smaller it was harder to get."

The truely great hunters that I've had the pleasure of meeting, care nothing about any of that. They have been around the block enough to know that none of that matters. They've harvested enough game that its not a contest anymore. Its simply about the enjoyment. And the funny thing is that when they get to that place the pressure is off. It gets easier I think. They seem to kill bigger and better animals. Alot of it has to do with time. The older we get, generally speaking, the more time we have for hobbies.

I'm not there yet. Don't know if I'll ever get there. But, its an admireable goal none the less.